William v



(No Model.) Y v W. V. PETTIT. PARTITION BLOCK.

No. 570,733. Patented Nov. s, 1896.

M y www UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IVILLIAM V. PETTIT, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

PARTITION-BLOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 570,733, dated November` 3, 1896.

Application led February 8, 1896 Serial No. 578,553. (No model.)

T 0 all whom t may concern,.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM V. PETTIT, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Partition-Blocks, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to certain improvements in the construction of tile and terracotta blocks for use in building partitionwalls, its object being to so form the various blocks that in building each will have a bearing upon and be bonded bycement or mortar to a large number of adjacent blocks, while atv the same time the shape and contour of the block are such that it may be manufactured with machinery of the simplest character.

A further obj ect of my invention is to manufacture a block of this character in such manner that the partition-walls may be made thinner than has hitherto been possible, and a still further object is to provide in such a block for air-spaces within the partition for the deadening of sound and to prevent the transmission of moisture.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a perspective view of a partition-block manufactured in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional View, on a somewhat larger scale, of a portion of a partition built from my improved blocks. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a modified form of block, and Fig. 4 is a sectional perspective view of a partitionwall built of said blocks.

In the building of partitions between the rooms of buildings it is usual to employterracotta tiles or studding and wire lathing covered with plaster. So far as I am aware, it has been impracticable to build a partition under four inches in thickness wholly of terracotta or tiling owing to the diiiiculty experienced in attaining the proper stiiness in the constructed partition. Heretofore some form of iron stiii'ening has had to be used.

In carrying out my invention I proceed to forni a block, such as shown in Fig. l, substantially square in shape and having, preferably, a roughencd outer face to increase the adherence of plaster. The inner surface of the block is centrally grooved at a, forming two raised rims or flanges b along the upper and lower edges of the inner face of the block. This inner surface is provided with a series of longitudinal corrugations c, extending from end to end of the block and so arranged that whenin the wall the corrugations will face each other in such manner as to form air grooves or passages to deaden sound and prevent the passage of moisture.

The longitudinal corrugations c may be provided in the groove a or in the flanges b, or in both,y as desired. These corrugations c may be of any desired width or depth, so as not, however, to weaken the block to any appreciable degree. If desired, a single corrugation may be provided in the flange b, which may be nearly equal to the width of the iian ge, instead of a series of corrugations each of less width.

In building a partition the blocks are so disposed that the raised rims or flanges b of the blocks on one side of the wall fit into the grooved portions ct of the blocks on the opposite side of the wall, each groove being of awidth sufficient to receive the adjacent rims b of two blocks on the opposite side of the wall, and as the grooves are of a depth equal to about one-fourth the width of the whole partition-say about one-half inch in a twoinch partitiona very large horizontal area on the side walls of the grooves and on the top and bottom of the blocks is afforded for the cement or Inortar.

The blocks in building are so arranged as to break joint, and when properly bonded each block is interlocked with four of its fellows on the opposite side of the partition and is in frictional or mortar contact on its own side with six others, so that each block has ten separate blocks tending to support and hold it in proper position. If in case of ire the lintel of a doorway should be burned out, instead of the portion ofA the partition over Vthe doorway falling down it would hang from the upper blocks, affording an additional protection against iire.

In Figs. 3 and et is illustrated a slightlymodified construction of block more especially applicable for the building of very thin partition-walls. ln this case the corrugations in the bottom of the groove are dispensed with, as the block must be made very thin at ICO this point and the formation of additional corrugations for air-spaces would weaken it too much. The eorrugations in the rims bare, however, retained and, with the flat bottom of the groove, form the necessary air-spaces.

It will be noted that the central groove and the various corrugations of the block extend on parallel lines from end to end thereof, so that the block may be manufactured by a single forming-die in a continuous strip and cut into proper lengths by an ordinary wirecutter, such as is usually employed in clayworking factories, so that the blocks may be made very cheaply.

In cases where space is valuable or a very light partition is required it is possible to make the blocks thin enough to form a partition of but one inch in thickness.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A partition-block formed of plastic niaterial, having a longitudinally-disposed central groove in one of its faces of a width equal to the combined Width of the outer flanges formed by the groove, and longitudinallydisposed flanges formed in the grooved face, substantially as specified.

2. A partition-block having on its inner face a central groove, ce, corrugations, c, and upper and lower rims or lianges, b, the groove, a, being of a width equal to the combined width of the two flanges, D, substantially as specified.

3. A partition-block formed of plastic material having longitudinally-disposed flanges formed along the outer edges, and a longitudinally-disposed central groove of a width equal to the combined width ofthe raised portion forming the two longitudinally-disposed flanges and Ventilating spaces or corrugations provided on that face of the block which is provided with the flanges, substantially as described.

4L. A partition-block formed of plastic Inaterial having a longitudinally-disposed central groove in one of its faces of a Width equal and raised flanges, b, provided on each of` the upper and lower sides of said block above and below the said groove, said flanges, b, interlocking with the flanges of the blocks on the opposite side of the partition and fitting in the grooves in a number of oppositely-disposed blocks, all of the blocks being so arranged as to afford to each block the support of the largest number of adjacentblocks, and

longitudinally-disposed grooves provided in the flanged face of each block forming air-` spaces between the respective blocks, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 4th day of February, A. D. 1896.

VILLIAM V. PETTIT.

Vitnesses:

JOHN D. COLLINS, LUKE BYRNns. 

